Ambassador Andreas Ferrarese pledges cooperation to promote Pakistani business, economic interests in international market

Staff Writer

Islamabad: Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan Andreas Ferrarese pledged cooperation in promoting business and economic interests of Pakistan in the international market.

He made the remarks while speaking at a dinner reception organised by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) for foreign diplomats.

Ambassador Andreas Ferrarese said that Italy was investing in a project worth €1.5 million for olive cultivation and growth in Pakistan.

The Ambassador said that Italy had always played a vital role in helping Pakistan to develop olive cultivation and technical expertise.

The “Olive Culture” project worth €1.5 million shall be executed in 26 months in suitable areas by CIHEAM Bari in cooperation with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) through the Pakistan Oilseed Department. It represents a continuum with all the work done by Italy in the past, with a holistic approach encompassing all stages and stakeholders.

The Ambassador said that Pakistan had a lot of potential for olives and the country could earn foreign exchange by increasing olive production and using it for commercial purposes.

He further said that fair trade was going on between the two countries at present. Pakistan’s overall exports to Italy were worth $ 763 million, its overall imports from the country were worth $754 million.

Andreas Ferrarese said that Italian olives were the best in the world in terms of quality. Pakistan could import olives from Italy which were very good for human health, he said.

The envoy said that the Pakistani business community in Italy could play a very important role in that regard.

Olives, he said, were an integral part of the entire Mediterranean civilization without which life and culture would be incomplete.

He said that olives were a special gift of our Mediterranean culture, which were a part of the culture of the region.